Jane put the red V-neck shoulder strap swimsuit on and looked in the mirror. It was a tight fit, accentuating her breasts and hips, and she thought it looked quite sexy. She put on Nick’s dressing gown and went downstairs.
Nick was sitting in his swimming trunks at the dining table looking through a black leather cassette case.
‘Do you like Dire Straits?’
‘Love them. Mark Knopfler is such a brilliant guitarist.’
Nick tucked the cassette into the waistband of his trunks, then topped up their wine glasses. She followed him into the utility room and through a door that led to the conservatory swimming pool. He put the glasses down on a small plastic table between two sun-loungers, then put the tape in the cassette player. The first track was ‘Tunnel of Love’, a song about a boy meeting a girl, liking her, but not wanting to spoil things by getting too deep. It suddenly seemed very appropriate.
As Jane removed the dressing gown and put it on the lounger, Nick looked up with a stunned expression.
‘It’s a bit small, isn’t it?’ she said awkwardly.
‘Not at all. It fits you perfectly.’
As they walked along the side of the pool, Jane couldn’t resist playfully nudging Nick as if she was going to knock him in the water. As he deliberately fell sideways towards the water, Nick grabbed her wrist and pulled her in with him. Jane shrieked as they fell into the warm water together. Surfacing, Jane clasped her hands around Nick’s neck as he swam to the shallow end, where he could stand with his head and shoulders above the water. They gazed into each other’s eyes as Nick pulled her close, enveloping her in a tight embrace. The long passionate kiss that followed was intoxicating, a magical moment of surrender that neither of them had felt before.
‘Do you want to go upstairs?’ Jane asked.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve made love to a woman,’ Nick said nervously.
‘Then we’ll have to take things slowly,’ she replied.
Chapter Seventeen
Jane woke early. Blurry-eyed and unaccustomed to the surroundings, for a moment she wondered where she was. But feeling Nick’s warm breath soft on her neck, and his arm around her waist, she felt reassured, knowing she was safe and where she wanted to be. From the intensity of her emotions, Jane knew, even though she had been a bit drunk, that this was more than a casual one-night stand. From the moment they had undressed and got into bed, Nick had made her feel wanted and loved, with gentle foreplay and tender kisses, stimulating her beyond her wildest imagination. Jane had reciprocated, and drawn together like two magnets, they made passionate love, their emotions expressed without words and their eyes speaking the unsaid.
Jane slowly rolled over and gazed into Nick’s eyes.
‘I’m so lucky to have you next to me,’ he said.
‘Me too,’ she replied, feeling an adrenaline rush as they kissed.
‘Shall we have some breakfast, then I’ll take you home and we can discuss some interior design ideas?’ he said as they pulled apart.
‘I’d rather just spend the day in bed with you,’ she smiled.
Nick tapped her nose. ‘I thought you were meeting a girlfriend for lunch?’
‘I’ll call her and make an excuse. I don’t think she’ll be too bothered.’
‘Well, it’s up to you.’
‘Her number is at my house, so I’ll have to ring her from there.’
‘Do you want to use the bathroom, while I make some bacon, eggs and coffee?’ Nick asked.
Jane grabbed his hand. ‘Can we make love again first?’
Later, Nick picked up his car from the Fantail car park and let Jane drive it to her house. Taking a longer route this time, she felt more relaxed and better able to enjoy the experience.
‘I should have the Ferrari up and running in a few weeks, and you can have a go behind the wheel,’ Nick said.
‘That would be great.’ Jane smiled, liking the fact he wanted to see more of her, though she worried that rushing things too quickly might spoil everything. Only time will tell, she thought to herself, hoping that this time it would last.
As soon as she got home, Jane went upstairs to change and phone Sam Pullen, while Nick measured the wall between the dining and living rooms and made notes in a drawing book.
‘Hi, Sam, it’s Jane. Something has come up and I can’t make lunch at The Bull’s Head today,’ she said, feeling bad about lying.
‘No problem,’ Sam said. ‘To be honest, I’m feeling knackered after a late night.’
‘Did you get called out to a crime scene?’
Sam laughed. ‘No, I was out on a date with Lloyd and had a bit too much to drink, then one thing led to another and... well, I won’t go into details.’
Jane was a bit taken aback by how frank Sam was being. ‘You mean Lloyd Johnson, the lab sergeant?’
‘Why? Have you slept with him as well?’
‘No! Never! We’re just good friends.’
‘So, is there anyone in your life, Jane?’ Sam asked.
‘Not at the moment... but I’m working on it,’ she said tentatively.
‘It’s not that handsome Father Chris, is it?’ Sam asked.
‘No, it isn’t,’ she said firmly. ‘He’s a priest, Sam, for goodness’ sake.’
‘I was only joking, Jane. No need to be so touchy.’
‘Sorry, I had a late night catching up on my paperwork and didn’t sleep too well.’
Sam asked if there had been any developments in the investigation. Jane told her about Bishop Meade making inquiries with the archivist and how everything had pretty much come to a standstill.
‘Hopefully, we’ll know who she is by Tuesday at the latest and DCS Barnes will form a squad. Then we can move forward quickly.’
‘You’ll solve it, Jane. Lloyd said you’re one of the most dogged and lateral-thinking detectives he’s come across. If you fancy going out next weekend, let me know. And get some rest, you grumpy mare,’ she laughed, and Jane couldn’t help joining in.
Although Sam Pullen could be a bit direct and over the top, Jane liked her and felt they shared a bond. They were both strong-willed and determined to prove themselves as good as any man at their jobs.
Jane went into the living room. The door to the dining room was open and she could see Nick looking at one of the building plans, that she’d forgotten to put away. She bit her lip, wondering how he would react.
‘I’ve cancelled my lunch with Sam Pullen. She was fine about it,’ she said.
He looked up. ‘Great. We could go out for lunch and a drive in the countryside... if you want to?’
‘I’d love to. Sorry about the mess. My DI wanted me to look through a load of plans and documents we got from the Bromley planning department,’ Jane said in a casual tone.
‘What for?’
‘Just to see if there’s anything about the land being consecrated.’
‘I can help you if you want...’
‘It’s all right. I’ll do it tonight. Besides, this is my day off and I’m entitled to enjoy it.’
‘There is something interesting here,’ he said, pointing to some markings on one of the plans.
Jane moved closer. It was the original plan of the convent dated 1851 and the markings were two parallel lines of dashes running from the convent chapel to the buildings that had been destroyed by fire.
‘Is it a pathway of some sort?’ Jane asked.
‘I’m not sure, but I think it might be a tunnel, running from the chapel to the old outbuildings.’
‘Really?’ Jane replied, her curiosity piqued.
‘There’s a cellar in the chapel with a six-foot-long cavern off it, which my father uses for storing his wine. I think the cavern might once have been part of this tunnel but was bricked up at some point.’ Nick looked at the 1965 plan for his father’s original development of the convent. ‘There are no similar markings on here for a tunnel.’